Dental emergencies can range from throbbing dental pain to a broken jaw. Regardless the type of injury you experience, it’s critical to visit your dentist for immediate dental care.

With speed and professionalism, your trusted dental professionals at Simply Smiles Dental are ready to handle your dental emergencies six days a week. Read on to know how you can deal with situations considered dental emergencies.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

Accidents are inevitable, so is a dental emergency. To help you deal with injuries caused by unexpected trauma, here are some common dental injuries and the ways to manage them.

Toothaches and Dental Pain: Rinse your mouth with water or mild saline solution. Use dental floss to get rid of any debris caught between your teeth. If your mouth is swollen, apply a cold compress to your cheek, outside the affected area. Don’t use aspirin or any pain medications against the gums or near the aching tooth as it may damage the gum tissues. Call your dentist immediately.

Damaged Teeth or External Trauma: Locate and save any fragments. Rinse your mouth with warm water. Rinse any broken pieces with milk or tap water. If bleeding occurs, apply a clean piece of gauze to the area for around 10 minutes or until the bleeding discontinues. To keep any swelling down and alleviate the pain, apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth, cheek or lip near the damaged tooth. Then, see your dentist as soon as possible.

Knocked-out Tooth: Retrieve the tooth and hold it by the crown. Don’t hold the tooth by the root. If the tooth root is dirty, rinse it with milk or tap water. Don’t scrub or rub the root surface, or even remove any attached tissue fragments. Insert tooth back in place. Use a clean cloth, tissue, foil or mouth guard to secure the tooth in its previous position.

If you can’t reinsert the tooth, store it in a small container with milk or a small amount of saliva. In all cases, see a dentist immediately. The sooner you see your dental team, the more likely your tooth will survive and reduce your risk of getting an infection as well as possible loss of the tooth.

Abscesses: They are a serious condition and in rare instances, life threatening. See your dentist right away if you discover any pimple-like swelling. To alleviate your discomfort caused by an abscess and draw the pus toward the surface, rinse your mouth with a mild saline solution several times a day.

Simple Precautions to Avoid Accident and Mouth Injuries

Here are some simple precautions you can take to avoid dental injuries as much as possible.

Wear a sports mouthguard when participating in contact sports or any other recreational activities

Don’t chew on ice, popcorn kernels and hard candies. These types of foods can injure and crack a tooth.

Never use your teeth to cut things or use them as a bottle opener.

In addition to these precautions, it’s important to remember the basics that can help you survive a dental emergency. Don’t hold the tooth by the root and avoid scrubbing or rubbing its root surface. Keep the tooth moist and don’t allow it to dry out. Time is of the essence so don’t delay seeking dental treatment.

Looking for an Emergency Dentist in Toorak?

With dental emergencies, you don’t need to wait. You should seek dental care right away as such incidence can lead to life threatening infections or tooth loss. Your trusted Toorak dentist at Simply Smiles Dental will handle your dental emergencies proficiently while ensuring that you maintain the highest quality of dental care possible. For a dental emergency in Toorak or anywhere in Melbourne metro areas, call us for immediate attention.

(We are located in the Toorak Village, in the heart of Toorak and serve patients from Toorak, South Yarra, Prahran, Windsor, Southbank, South Melbourne, Port Melbourne, Malvern, Albert Park, Melbourne CBD, and from all Melbourne metro areas.)